1. Field of the Invention
A mounting or fastening apparatus for releasably securing key striking solenoid assemblies to a keyboard musical instrument is presented. In particularly, the present invention relates to a solenoid mounting apparatus having an adjustable or releasable mounting means for attaching to the keyboard instrument a plurality of solenoid key striking assemblies. The mounting apparatus has a mounting rail with first and second generally flat and parallel faces, first and second end edges, and first and second mounting edges. A first channel is formed within the first mounting edge and usually extends between the first and second end edges. Likewise, a second channel is formed within the second mounting edge and usually extends between the first and second end edges.
2. Description of the Background Art
Many of the present assemblages with attachment means for securing solenoid assemblies to a keyboard instrument include elements that are often cumbersome to mount or adjust, too large for use in the narrow spaces near many keyboards, or, when small enough to fit within a cramped keyboard space, deliver a weak striking force to the associated keys.
Related in U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,304 is a player piano key actuating solenoid valve assembly. Comprising the disclosed solenoid mounting assembly is a pair of generally "C" shaped structures. Each solenoid is secured between the pair of "C" shaped structures. Multiple layers of solenoids may be held with this design.
An adjustably mounted player piano key actuating assembly is presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,581,254 and 3,581,255. "C" shaped and "L" shaped solenoid mounting rails are provided, respectively. The horizontal projections producing the "C" and "L" shapes support brackets attached to the solenoids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,796 describes a solenoid mounting assembly for musical keyboards. The disclosed assembly has parallel locking slots that run the length of the rail's longitudinal borders. To secure the solenoids, a protruding rib with opposing grooves cooperates with the locking slots. Each of the locking slots has means for threadably receiving a threaded fastener member. This slot element of the invention requires that the locking slot be deep enough to accept securely the threaded fastener. Therefore, as the drawings clearly indicate, each locking slot is "X" shaped so that a fastener can protrude through the threadable locking means. By necessity, this design requires that the thickness of the rail be of appropriate dimensions to accommodate the protruding fastener. As indicated above, the available leeway for positioning solenoids is often severely restricted near a keyboard. The minimum rail thickness required by this design inherently limits the structural locations in which the device will fit.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,491 is a solenoid mounting rail for a musical keyboard instrument that is very similar to the rail detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,796. The exhibited invention has two critical differences from that described in the above U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,796 solenoid mounting rail. First, alignment rib on the longitudinal edges of the planar surfaces of the rail have been added. These alignment ribs project outward from the surface of the rail and accept solenoid edges for mounting alignment. Second, the grooved rib for cooperatively holding the solenoids has been replaced by a locking slot like those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,796. As with the U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,796 mounting rail, this version must have an appropriate rail thickness to accommodate the locking nuts and the associated fastener, thereby limiting its use in narrow spaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,652 presents, for illustrative purposes, one possible type of solenoid actuator for keyboard instruments. This disclosure stresses the desirability of producing components that are small in size in order to fit within the restricted available space near a keyboard.
A convenient to use mounting rail, but one that is more bulky than the subject invention, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,529 for keyboard instruments. It comprises a mounting rail having a top border and a bottom border, a front mounting rail surface, a back mounting rail surface, two opposing end borders, a top lip proximate the top border, a bottom lip proximate the bottom border, wherein the top and bottom lips project outward past the back mounting rail surface, a top clamping channel in the back rail surface proximate the top lip, and a bottom clamping channel in the back rail surface proximate the bottom lip. Included in the subject system is a solenoid assembly having an invertable supporting frame for clamping over either the top border or the bottom border. Means are associated with the supporting frame for clamping the solenoid assembly to the mounting rail proximate either the top or the bottom border. Also, means are provided on the back mounting rail surface, proximate the top and bottom borders, for cooperating with the frame clamping means for fastening the solenoid assembly to the mounting rail. Additionally, means are incorporated in the subject device for adjustably securing the rail to the keyboard instrument.